"Let's be honest, he should have been the first one in out of Mount," Ballard said. "He was still coaching, so he wasn't eligible."

The wait for Kehres after becoming eligibile was as short as possible. In his first year of eligibility, the former Mount Union head coach and current athletic director was one of 17 people selected to this year's hall of fame class on Monday. The Class of 2017 will be enshrined Dec. 5 at the National Football Foundation's 60th annual awards dinner in New York City.

Kehres' selection to the hall of fame at some point was a formality. He had a .929 winning percentage, No. 1 all-time in college football, over 27 seasons from 1986-2012. He compiled a record of 332-24-3.

He also built the nation's best small-college football program and one of the game's biggest dynasties.

Kehres ranks No. 1 among all college football coaches with 11 national championships, 23 conference titles and 21 unbeaten regular seasons. His Purple Raiders set another NCAA record from 2000-03 when they won 55 straight games.

"I think it's a little bit like winning a big game," Kehres said of his hall of fame selection. "You just think about how fortunate you are to have good enough players and coaches to do it."

Kehres won seven of his 11 national championships after the year 2000. His 72-3 record in his final five seasons broke the college football record set by hall of fame coach Tom Osborne. After winning his 11th national title in 2012, he retired as head coach and was succeded by his son Vince.

"When you're looking through the ballot and you see the list of names up for the College Football Hall of Fame and you see his record and winning percentage, it's surreal," Vince Kehres said. "It's kind of overwhelming."

What made Larry Kehres such a great coach?

"His ability to be a little bit of a risk taker, to think outside the box and not just follow what would be the norms in football," Vince Kehres said. "He really thought a little bit differently and approached things a little bit differently. He was ahead of his time in a lot of ways."

Ballard cited Kehres' ability to adapt the offense and defense to the players he had.

"We rolled out a lot, sprinted back a lot, dropped back some, but everything was on the move," Ballard said. "As other quarterbacks came, it was more option at times. (Current Iowa State head coach) Matt Campbell came back from Bowling Green and was the offensive coordinator, and they installed the spread. Kurt Rocco and Rob Adamson were more drop back, play action. Then we had Chuck Moore and Dan Pugh and ran the ball."

A former Mount Union quarterback, Kehres returned to his alma mater in 1974 after one year as the head coach Johnstown-Monroe High School. He served as an assistant coach under Ken Wable for 11 seasons before he took over as head coach in 1986.

Kehres won his first national championship with Ballard at quarterback in 1993. His teams three-peated as national champions twice, from 1996-98 and 2000-02. In addition to his final season, the Purple Raiders also won titles under Kehres in 2005, 2006 and 2008.

Kehres never anticipated this type of success or took it for granted.

"One time we had been on the bus home from the Stagg Bowl about only half an hour, and I was working on the depth chart for next year," Kehres said. "My wife was seated next to me and said, 'Why don't you just enjoy this game for a little while and answer your phone?' It is appropriate to take some time to enjoy things.

"I think I'm like a lot of coaches who are just not looking that far ahead. You're just thinking about the next part of whatever cycle of a season you're in and trying to do that well."

Kehres coached 260 All-Americans and 220 first team All-Ohio Athletic Conference selections. Ballard was one of five of his players who won the Gagliardi Trophy, presented to NCAA Division III's top all-around football player.

Kehres joins Steve Spurrier and Danny Ford as coaches selected as part of the Class of 2017. Spurrier, who coached at Duke, Florida and South Carolina, becomes just the fourth person selected to the College Hall as both a player and coach. Ford won a national title at Clemson and also coached at Arkansas.

Former Mount Union quarterback Bill Borchert also was on this year's College Football Hall of Fame ballot, but was not selected. The 1997 Gagliardi Trophy winner congratulated Kehres on Twitter Monday.

"All time great coach, learned a lot about life from my experiences with him and the program he developed," Borchert tweeted. "Could not be happier for him!"

Kehres said it's only a matter of time before Borchert joins he and Ballard in the hall of fame.

"Bill started and was the winning quarterback in 50 games, which is a record at any level of NCAA football," Kehres said. "Clearly his contribution to his team was significant and the team won. Then you look at his own quarterback statistics. They're overwhelming.

"His time is coming."

Reach Mike at 330-580-8341 or

mike.popovich@cantonrep.com

On Twitter: @mpopovichREP

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